The mission ofthe Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease is to promote and enhance multidisciplinary digestive disease research. The center achieves this purpose through: Core laboratories that provide training, technical support, laboratory animals, reagents, and/or assays, A pilot/feasibility program that offers startup funds to junior investigators, or to established investigators who wish to pursue new directions in research, A scientific enrichment program.-- consisting of seminars, lectures by visiting scientists, workshops and research competitions for trainees ~ that improves the intellectual climate for gastrointestinal biological research, and promotes cooperation, collaboration and communication among involved personnel, and A professional development and training program that promotes the development of junior faculty and trainees.